This invention relates generally to computer disks and more specifically to sleeves, envelopes or containers for computer disks. The computer disks referred to herein are the so-called "floppy" disk assemblies, which are manufactured to various standard dimensions. These disk assemblies are commonly comprised of a flexible magnetic disk permanently housed in a flexible or rigid square or rectangular housing. It is this assembly which will be referred to as the disk or "floppy " disk.
The "floppy" disk is customarily packaged in a sleeve similar to the sleeves used to cover and protect a vinyl audio recording. When the disk is dedicated to a specific program, such as a game or word processor or any other program, the purchaser of such a disk customarily receives a package comprising the disk, the sleeve, and an instruction sheet. These three separate units are usually contained in an overall package with advertising graphics and literature and the like. The present invention provides and improvement to the usual combination of disk, sleeve, and instruction sheet.
When using a floppy disk in the abovementioned package configuration it is quite easy for the user to misplace either the sleeve or the instruction sheet or both. When the disk is inserted into the computer disk drive, the instruction sheet and the sleeve must be separated from the disk. During use of the disk, reference to the the instruction sheet may be hindered simply because the instruction sheet can easily be misplaced in or around the work area. Often the sleeve, too, is misplaced. With this system, there is usually not adequate space provided on the sleeve, the instruction sheet or the disk to record written information about the contents of the disk.
Disks that are sold with no specific program, so-called blank disks, may have no instruction sheet but are contained in a conventional sleeve, as mentioned above. Such packages provide very litte space for user notation or indicia on either the disk or the sleeve.
Some disks are permanently contained in a rigid housing. While these disks may be stored without a sleeve, they too do not provide a very large area on their surface for written information.
In order to mail a computer disk it is necessary to provide a separate mailing container.
The present invention overcomes the problems associated with the abovementioned disk packaging.
It is one object of the present invention to provide a disk package wherein the sleeve and the instruction sheet are integral and are permanently or semi-permanently attached to the disk, even when it is placed in a computer disk drive and in in use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy means of reading and accessing instructions for a computer disk.
Another object of the invention is to prevent loss or misplacement of the sleeve and instructions for a computer disk.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an integral mailer for a computer disk that is permanently housed in a flexible housing.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an integral dust cover and indicia sheet for a disk that is permanently housed in a rigid housing.